Preconditions for Afro-American Leadership: Three Mississippi Towns

Black leaders in rural America have not attracted much scholarly attention, probably because in that part of the country not many blacks voted, and hardly any held elective office, until some twenty years ago. In this study of black leaders in three small Mississippi towns, which is one of only a few of its kind, Professor Morrison posits the following preconditions for effective leadership: election to public office, a socio-economic status well above that of the masses, youth and charisma, a civil rights ideology, and a purposive program for political and social action.